and tomorrow we'll rest
by Meepy
Summary: 4. It's a comfortable silence. — Nic & Alex ;; general drabble collection.
1. Alex & Worick

**a/n:**

Quick drabble collection of stories I wrote last year but thought I'd publish now. Most of them were requests (currently not accepting any, if for some reason someone is interested).

 **Summary:** Alex, Worick and a sleepless night.

* * *

It was five in the morning and they were both awake.

Her eyes widened when she saw him enter the parlour room, where the majority of their business was organized. He was awake much earlier than she was accustomed to; after all, having to wake him up for breakfast was quite routine for her.

The sun wasn't even out yet and he was awake.

He glanced at her figure, sitting upright on the worn-out couch she called _bed_ for so long now.

She spoke first, "Worick?"

He smiled. "Mornin'."

"Ah, yes, good morning," she fumbled. She watched as he strode across the room, stopping at the desk, and noticed he wasn't wearing an eyepatch. She'd seen him without it numerous times before, usually when he was sleeping, but something about the scar always unnerved her.

After a moment's silence, she took a breath and started, "Did you have another n—"

"Would you like some coffee?" he interrupted.

She blinked, mumbling, "Huh? Oh, yes."

He nodded and looked around the room a bit before snorting, "We probably shouldn't leave the coffee machine downstairs. Be back in a bit."

He simply descended without another word and she was left alone, left to how things usually were. Her, awake late at night (early in the morning, technically), with nothing but her mind to keep her company.

The things that haunted her, the things that reminded her; and more importantly, the things that _taunted_ her.

She closed her eyes.

She was tired, she couldn't sleep, and she didn't want to rely on medication.

The smell of coffee brought her back to her senses. Worick stood in front of her, two mugs in hand. He gently passed one off to her with a smile and she murmured a quiet, "Thanks."

"Hey, no need to worry about waking Nic up or anything," he commented wryly, taking a seat next to her on the sofa.

And despite that, he still spoke in a hushed tone.

"He won't be up for an hour or two, anyway," he continued.

The edges of her lips quirked up as she replied, "I know."

And, well, she liked that she knew.

For a while, they drank their coffees in silence.

It was bitter and not how she usually made it, but the warmth was comforting.

"Was there something you needed to do?" Alex finally opted to ask. "Client work this morning?"

"Not always work." He shook his head. "I just wanted to see Al-chan in the morning."

She narrowed her eyes in response. "You're not really that enthusiastic when I have to wake you up, normally."

He flashed her a lopsided grin. "I really wanted to sleep with Al-chan in the morning today."

" _No way,_ " she immediately shot him down.

"Well, why not? Y'know, we wouldn't really be bothering Nic. Not unless the walls started shaking. Actually, I can't guarantee they won't." He chuckled.

Frowning deeply, she lightly kicked the side of his leg. "Idiot."

"Ah—I'd rather Nic weren't right in the next room. But I could ask him to join us, if you'd be into that." And despite the severe look that Alex directed at him, he continued on, "It's not really his thing, but he listens to me, sometimes. Well, you've seen how he works."

Finally fed up, she set her coffee mug down and reached forward to pinch his cheek.

"You really need to learn when to stop talking," she grumbled as he laughed.

"S'pose I do," he agreed lightly, rising to his feet once more. He walked towards the staircase that led outside, asking, "Would you like to join me?"

" _No._ "

"To watch the sunrise, I mean," he elaborated, leaving his cup of coffee on the table. He glanced over his shoulder and added, "I'll just be down there if you wanna."

With that, he headed down the stairway and out of sight. It wasn't long until she quickly followed after him. She didn't really have to think about it; after all, she didn't want to be alone with just her thoughts again, and despite everything, the town was incredibly beautiful during dusk and dawn. And, well, Worick was good company, too.

At the bottom of the steps, she quietly sat down next to him and gazed towards the changing sky.

"Perfect timing, isn't it?" he remarked.

"It is," she breathed.

The darkness was starting to fade, slowly being overtaken by light oranges and reds as the sun rose.

"Still having trouble sleeping?" he asked suddenly.

"Huh?" She turned to face him, but he was still focused on the world above.

"Insomnia, is it? Not getting better?" he repeated.

She hesitated. "It has. A bit. Just, some nights are worse than others. Like tonight."

"It's hard, because there's nothing I can do and I just start thinking—wanting to remember things," she whispered. "I can't remember anything."

After a moment, she heard a soft, "Huh, must be nice."

"What?" She stared.

"Oh, sorry; nothing. Just thinking aloud," he quickly corrected himself, then continued speaking before she could say anything more, "Y'know—whenever you can't sleep, you can always just wake me up or something and we can talk. Or watch the sunrise. Or sleep. Just do whatever it is you'd want to do."

"But not alone," she finished and she found herself smiling.

"Yeah." He grinned.

There was a pause.

"I don't think I've said this yet, but your smile's beautiful, Al-chan."

She chuckled and redirected her attention away from him in order to conceal the embarrassment that was beginning to seep into her cheeks. The sky was now painted bright orange and the sun illuminated the streets around them. "No, the sunrise is beautiful."

"It is," he concurred, "but that doesn't mean your smile isn't beautiful too, Al-chan."

When she turned to face Worick once more, she was surprised by how intently he was watching her.

"I really love your smile, Alex," he stated.

She blinked, mumbling, "Thank you."

"Thank you, Worick," she repeated, louder.

In the distance, she heard the phone ringing.


	2. Marco x Connie

**a/n:**

 **Request** : Marco x Connie

 **Summary:** He loved her like she was his world.

She was.

* * *

"Connie?!" his voice cracked and the door flung open, hitting the wall with a harsh bang. Panting, he scanned the living room for the woman in question. She was laying down on the couch, her leg propped up on a cushion.

"Hey," she greeted casually, eyes darting up from the book she was reading.

It took a moment for his breathing to calm. Marco walked towards her, kneeling at the base of the sofa. "Are you all right?"

She put her book away and sat upright. She mused, "Yeah, did you run here?"

"Well, I heard you were in an accident!" he exclaimed.

Connie sighed. "Is that what she told you? I just twisted my ankle a little."

"It's fine, you didn't really need to come running." She pointed at her foot, then set it down on the ground gently. "Look! I can practically walk, y'know?"

She could hear the relief in his voice. "I'm glad, but I was really worried. Please be more careful, Connie."

"It's okay, I can take care of myself," she beamed.

"I know. I just worry." A slight smile formed on his lips.

"I do too! You take care of yourself, okay, Marco?"

He blinked.

"Of course." He had no plans of ever leaving her, after all.

She grinned. "Please take care of yourself, Marco. I worry, too."

He nodded and the words naturally spilled from his mouth, "Of course. I love you, Connie."

"I know."

He smiled wryly. "You're supposed to say, 'I love you too.'"

"You already know I do."

"I like to hear it sometimes."

She laughed, bright, and he felt his shoulders relax. She brought her hand to his cheek, caressing the scars on his face.

"I love you, Marco," she breathed.

And he knew she meant it, knew she loved every last part of him, as dark and scarred and broken as they were, as much as he loved every last part of her.

He loved her.

And he never wanted to lose the feeling of her fingertips that grazed his jaw, the eyes that looked at him like he was the world, her sweet smiles and the love she breathed.


	3. Nic & Nina

**a/n:**

 **Request** : Nic & Nina

 **Summary:** Her laughter is contagious; her eyes, bright.

* * *

She hid behind Dr. Theo.

They stumbled in, clothes dirtied and faces hardened. Unfamiliar faces that had already seen too much, she could tell. She tilted her head up, observing Dr. Theo. He watched the two men carefully.

Feeling her gaze, he gently rubbed her head and reassured, "It's fine, Nina."

She looked at the men.

It didn't seem fine.

The blond, finally noticing her, grinned in her direction and her grip on Dr. Theo's coat tightened. The man next to him waved his hands around. The taller one observed the movements before saying, "Maybe we should discuss this elsewhere."

He nodded at her as he spoke.

She felt Dr. Theo's hand on her shoulder. "No, she's my student. She will know anyway."

The blond let out an amused sound and turned towards his partner, who started moving his hands yet again. Her eyes followed each movement, intricate and smooth. Then she realized there was meaning to each gesture.

He was talking with his hands.

He was talking with his hands and Nina wanted to know how.

Suddenly, he stopped. She held her breath, though she didn't really know why. Then he looked at her with dark eyes, softening ever so slightly.

She took a step forward.

* * *

She rushed up to Nicolas, beaming. She couldn't keep the excitement in, shouting, "Look! Look!" as she ran towards the man.

He tilted his head questioningly.

 _Birds_ , she signed. _Two._

 _Birds?_

She nodded vigorously and pointed out the window. It was evident in his expression that he didn't understand why she was so enthusiastic. Grinning, she grabbed his hand and he followed after her without a fuss.

Outside, Nina gestured towards a bird nest.

 _Two birds_ , she signed again, beaming.

 _It is uncommon to see two in a nest_ , Nicolas commented, glancing upwards at the branch they were perched on. One of the birds took flight and hovered above the duo, before alighting on Nicolas' shoulder.

Nina's eyes widened and he could tell she was trying her best to stay quiet and not scare the animal away.

He wasn't exactly sure what to do with a bird perched on his shoulder. Probably nothing. Nina was having fun after all, he noted. She watched the creature with bright eyes.

It wasn't long until the bird took flight, leaving something behind before disappearing into the sky.

His face contorted in disgust and Nina burst into a fit of giggles.

It pooped on him.

 _It fucking pooped on him._

Her grin only widened and he sighed, reaching forward and pulling the young girl into a casual embrace. She stopped momentarily, but her amusement soon continued.

He felt her laughter throughout his entire body.


	4. Nic & Alex

**a/n:**

 **Request:** Nic  & Alex, errands.

 **Summary:** It's a comfortable silence.

* * *

She glanced at the font scrawled across the crumpled paper. It was regarding a delivery, but she wasn't familiar with the location and Worick very helpfully did not leave any directions (she recognized the surprisingly neat penmanship as his). Of course he had to be out with a client today as well.

Alex let out a sigh.

She stared at the book-sized package on the desk; it had to be at its destination in two hours. She couldn't sit around and mope.

But really, deliveries? So Benriya _did_ do everything. A part of her wanted to know what it was that she was actually transporting, but then again, not really.

Well, she should probably grab a map, then quickly head out—

At that moment, Nicolas stepped in from the adjacent room.

Her gaze was immediately drawn to his figure.

She could ask him how to get there.

Smoothing out the note, she approached the man. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Um, can I ask for your help?" she started, and for some reason, she hated the way her voice sounded; strangely unnatural. She briefly wondered if he could tell. He eyed her carefully and she gulped, holding out the paper for him to read. She elaborated once he finished scanning the text, "I'm not sure how to get there."

In response, he walked past her and picked up the parcel.

"Hey! Hey, wait!" She repeated herself once he was looking at her again, "Hey—you don't have to come if you're busy. Um, it's fine if you just tell me the directions."

"You'll get lost," he deadpanned. "I'm comin'."

Alex frowned, but she couldn't really be insulted by that remark. "Is that okay?"

 _It's fine_ , he waved. "Nothin' to do today."

He walked a step in front of her and she followed quietly, not a single word exchanged between the pair.

The destination was surprisingly close, only taking about twenty minutes on foot. Nicolas stood to the side as she transferred the goods to the recipient, saying, "Delivery from Benriya."

Task completed, she returned to her partner.

 _Thanks. Thanks for,_ she signed, and she wanted to say so much more in his muted language. She gritted her teeth because she couldn't. "Thanks for coming with me today."

His gaze shifted. "Said it was fine."

"I know. But still, thank you."

He simply grunted in response, as expected.

Yet she wanted Nicolas to acknowledge her efforts, acknowledge that maybe she could actually do it, acknowledge _her_.

She thought about Worick and how he could sign so well, and how Nicolas could communicate perfectly with him without uttering a single word.

She thought about Worick and the comfortable silence between the two men.

* * *

Whenever she had to deliver something, she was often accompanied by either Worick or Nicolas if they were free. She still struggled with recognizing certain streets.

Truth be told, she was never able to familiarize herself with the town. Rather, she was only familiar with the dark corners and alleyways (and she cringed slightly at the thought).

She supposed it was better, anyway, especially considering the incident involving the young Twilight.

She finger-spelled the word _Twilight_ as she walked, making sure not to lose her grip on the day's delivery.

After handing the package over to the client, Alex promptly returned to Nicolas' side.

 _I'm surprised how far it was today_ , she gestured. _Thank you for coming again_.

 _We don't want you getting lost or taking detours,_ he returned.

 _That was one time, and I'm getting better!_

 _You are_ , he signed. _You can actually form coherent sentences now._

She blinked.

After a moment, she pursed her lips. _That's a compliment, isn't it? I'm taking it as a compliment._

The edges of his mouth quirked upwards and he turned away.

He walked a step in front of her and she followed quietly, not a single word exchanged between the pair.

It was a comfortable silence.


End file.
